Byron Browne
Encyclopedia
Byron Ellis Browne is a former Major League Baseball
outfielder
. Browne was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates
as an amateur free agent
in 1963. In his first Major League at-bat, Browne lined out in the second inning of Sandy Koufax
's 1965 perfect game
. Browne had the dubious distinction of leading the league in strikeouts in with 143. From 1970 to 1972 he was a member of several Philadelphia Phillies teams that were among the worst ever to play professional baseball. Although a few teammates described Browne as having the best natural power on the team, he seldom delivered, particularly in the clutch. To some cynics, his chief contribution was the refreshing breeze on hot and humid South Philadelphia evenings which emanated from his regular swings and misses. During his major league playing career, Browne also was associated with the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, and St. Louis Cardinals.
Browne, along also with Tim McCarver and Joe Hoerner, was part of the St. Louis Cardinals' 1969 attempted trade of Curt Flood to the Philadelphia Phillies for Richie Allen, Cookie Rojas, and Jerry Johnson. Challenging Major League Baseball's reserve clause, Flood's refusal of the trade and subsequent lawsuit against Major League Baseball went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court which in 1972 ruled against Flood. By 1975, however, arbitration effective reversed the Court's verdict, voiding the clause, which led to today's free agency system among major league professional athletes.
Browne's son Byron Browne, Jr. played 10 years in the Milwaukee Brewers farm system.
Both Byron Brown, Sr. and Byron Browne, Jr. attended Central High School in St. Joseph, MO where both were standout athletes.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
. Browne was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
as an amateur free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
in 1963. In his first Major League at-bat, Browne lined out in the second inning of Sandy Koufax
Sandy Koufax
Sanford "Sandy" Koufax is a former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers...
's 1965 perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
. Browne had the dubious distinction of leading the league in strikeouts in with 143. From 1970 to 1972 he was a member of several Philadelphia Phillies teams that were among the worst ever to play professional baseball. Although a few teammates described Browne as having the best natural power on the team, he seldom delivered, particularly in the clutch. To some cynics, his chief contribution was the refreshing breeze on hot and humid South Philadelphia evenings which emanated from his regular swings and misses. During his major league playing career, Browne also was associated with the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, and St. Louis Cardinals.
Browne, along also with Tim McCarver and Joe Hoerner, was part of the St. Louis Cardinals' 1969 attempted trade of Curt Flood to the Philadelphia Phillies for Richie Allen, Cookie Rojas, and Jerry Johnson. Challenging Major League Baseball's reserve clause, Flood's refusal of the trade and subsequent lawsuit against Major League Baseball went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court which in 1972 ruled against Flood. By 1975, however, arbitration effective reversed the Court's verdict, voiding the clause, which led to today's free agency system among major league professional athletes.
Browne's son Byron Browne, Jr. played 10 years in the Milwaukee Brewers farm system.
Both Byron Brown, Sr. and Byron Browne, Jr. attended Central High School in St. Joseph, MO where both were standout athletes.